People seeking personal salvation during the religious revival
Summary The religious reform that occurred during the antebellum period was better known as the Second Great Awakening. This period of religious revival was influenced mostly by Charles Grandison Finney along with a few other preachers. The Second Great Awakening was a spiritual reawakening that gave expression to the new social, political, and economic realities of the late eighteenth century. The Second Great Awakening stimulated the establishment of many reform movements designed to remedy the evils of society before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.The Second Great Awakening accelerated the growth of different sects and denominations and helped create a broad popular acceptance of the idea that men and women could belong to different Protestant churches and still be committed to essentially the same Christian faith. It also basically established a long-standing American tradition of charity and humanitarianism.The results of this event were attempts to limit the alcohol consumption and to abolish slavery. This was a very important reform to occur d
Click on this picture which will lead you to a wonderful site that has a great video that summarizes and highlights important parts on the movement.
uring the antebellum period and it lead to many other reforms. Causes
1) Conservative theologians of the 1790s fighting the spread of religious rationalism
2) Church establishments revitalizing their organizations
3) The American Revolution detached the churches from the governement which led to the weakening of religious practice, and raised ideas about individual liberty and reason, which also weakened the church's traditions.
4) Theologies and scientific attitudes de-emphasized the role of God in the world.
5) Certain books were attacking religious "superstitions." For instance, Thomas Paine wrote "The Age of Reason" in 1794 and 1796 and declared in it that Christianity was the "strangest religion ever set up" since "it committed a murder upon Jesus in order to redeem mankind from the sin of eating an apple."
6) Skeptics produced philosophies of Universalism and Unitarianism, both philosophies emerged as views within the New England Congressional Church, and rejected the Calvanist belief in predestination, because they said salvation was available to all people. The two philosophies rejected the idea of Trinity and said Jesus was a religious teacher, and not the son of God.
7) Overall, the Second Great Awakening started because of the efforts of conservative theologians of the 1790s, to fight the spread of religious rationalism. Churches as well wanted to revitalize their organizations.
Goals of Movement
Accelerate the growth of different sects and denominations
Spread religious fervor into virtually every area of the nation
Get individuals to place God and Christ back into their daily lives
Make more people search for salvation
Reject the skeptical rationalism that threatened traditional beliefs People must have active piety, and must reject all skeptical "rationalism" that threatened traditional beliefs.
They did not restore the religion of the past. Even with the Second Great Awakening, most denominations believed in predestination.
A Camp Meeting
Strategies
Camp Meetings
Occurred during the fall after harvesting period in the froniter
This was the best strategy the ministers and preachers used because
it allowed women to taken part in the event
acted as a form of entertainment to those in the froniter since people were usually isolated and entertainment was usually for the rich to enjoy
was treated like a vacation to many since it would last several days which made you have to camp-out
ministers and preachers would talk about religion in the entertainment they provided to convince people to convert to their religion
"Circuit Riders"
Who-Ministers and preachers or ordinary men choosen by ministers
What/How-These people would ride on horse back to remote areas of the froniter to teach and spread the ideas of God.
Where-Foniter
When-During the Second Great Awakening
Why-These "missionaries" would do this to try to bring the teachings of God to areas that were not developed yet. They did this so they could convert the whole town that was being developed into a religion which needed some type of stucture that religion would bring to them. If there was only a couple of families, then they would just convert
those families.
Women
The only non-domestic activity(religion) the women could and were allowed to take part in, this is why the woman out number the males
women attained church very often and participated in a number of religous activities
the forming of charities and missionary organizations
The churches targeted women because they were responsible for taking care of their husbands' and children's religous well being
since this was the only activity women could do, they took it very seriously which led to them convincing their family to convert to the same religion too
After the conclusion of the Second Great Awakening, there were no failures at all. First of all, Methodists and Baptists grew tremendously through the efforts of camp meetings and circuit riders in the frontier. These two groups grew the most because they targeted the frontier which had little, if any, organization that people in the frontier needed badly. Overall, the effort to revive religion in America was a success. Even though this was the movement's main objective, it was more successful in inspiring many other reform movements like the temperance and abolition. The Second Great Awakening basically acted like the cornerstone for all other reforms that followed. The biggest success of the movement was the opportunities it opened for women because women were able to participate in it. This gave women the strength to challenge men and the nation that they should be treated the same as men. During the Awakening, the women out-numbered the men in church. They started working in factories instead of at home, as weavers and spinners. Men would go to the west to expand and the women were left home, leading them to become members of a church. The Awakening also effected Blacks, too. Since some of the revivals were open to all races, black preachers started to preach, which was important to the slaves. During the preachings, they had said that salvations was available to all. The Second Great Awakening was also important to Native Americans. A Delaware prophet named Neolin had sparked a widespread revival in the Old Northwest. He said that Indians should defend their land, and that trade and relationship with whites was very strong. Neolin helped with Indian military efforts in 1763. Finally, the Second Great Awakening affected the rational freethinkers, who were now the minority. Also, the Presbyterians expanded to the western fringe of white settlements. Methodism founded in England spread to America, because of John Wesley, in the 1770s. Methodism also became a formal denomination in 1784 under the leadership of Francis Asbury. Their churches sent out preachers to recruit new members, and it became the fastest denomination in America. Baptists in the South, became new to America. These three new denominations spread throughout the whole country. People flocked to join one of these three churches.
The Second Great Awakening combined a more active piety with a belief in God as a force whose grace could only be given through faith and good deeds. It also spread different denominations and helped create the idea that men and women could belong to different Protestant churches and still be committed to the same Christian faith, which also spread to places that never even had churches.
Overall, the Awakening had brought together all or most races in America at that time as well as the unique religions, through religious beliefs.
Methodists and Baptists were the most successful in getting converts
overall after the movement was over, the most of the nation was back into some type of religion
Cornstone to other reforms
Helped woman out
showed that they she be considered equal
Overall Effects
Voluntary societies had been formed to promote religious education and Sunday schools, distribute Bibles, and advance charitable efforts
Moral and humanitarian crusades were launched.
A crusade for the abolition of slavery was entered upon by revivalists such as Theodore Dwight Weld
Colleges and seminaries were founded which, like Oberlin in Ohio, were dedicated to “universal reform” and the education of women and African Americans.
Who-Everyday people who from all direct locations to hear preachers and ministers (mostly Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians) talk about putting God back into their lives. Methodist Preacher Peter Cartwright was one preacher, who won national fame from his preaching.
Where-Cane Ridge, Kentucky
What-This was a the biggest revival in American history that hosted around 25,000 people. The event was a huge camp meeting which has a new adpoted system in religion to attract people and convert them. The camp meeting lasted for several days.
When-August 1801
Why-The camp meeting took place to create a great source of reviving religion in and around the West which was very unorganized. It also was created to attrack people from the froniter beause it acted as a form of entertainment. The meeting went so well that the religion fevor spread thoughout the region into Tennessee and southern Ohio. Methodists also relied on these "Camp Meetings" to harvest new members.
How-To accomplish this camp meeting the ministers and preachers had to house thousands of people that traveled far from home and had no way to stay. They also had to speak wisely because people they wanted to convert people into being religous again.
"Burned-Over District"
The "Burned-Over District"
Who-Many religous ministers and preachers, Charles Grandison Finney started preaching here from 1826 to 1831
Where-Western New York (the area from Lake Ontario to the Adriondack Mountains)
What/How-This was the location where many religous revivals took place in the form of camp meetings. Here many people were converted into some type of religion. The completion of the Erie Canal helped support the sucesse of the district because the canal attracted many people, who wanted a new start in life, into the area. Also the canal brought new people into the area that were looking for a fresh, new life to start which were targets for ministers and preachers.
When-From the beginning of 1800 to almost the beginning of the Civil War
Why-The "burned-over district" occured to develop and start the spread of religous movements that would convince and convert people back into religous beliefs. The place helped spread the religous movement throughout New England. Overall the "burned-over district" occured because it was a place that was full of religious revival meetings in which thousands would leave converted.
Timothy Dwight and Yale
Who-Timothy Dwight and Yale Student Body
Where-Yale College
What/How-When Dwight became the President of Yale, he changed the way Americans were thinking about religion. He would preach to the student body of Yale as a whole about putting religion in their life. This had a huge affect on the student body which created the Second Great Awakening by starting a enormous spread of religious beliefs into New England.
When-1795 when he became the President of Yale
Why-Timothy Dwight did this to stop the way America was thinking and spreading the ideas of skeptical rationalism and stop the secular trend that was occuring.
Religious Revival
Primary Sources
A series of 32 letters, all published with the same name of "Revival Fire", dedicated to All Interested Persons and Ministers of the Gospel which are written by Charles Finney. These letters are of Finney's feelings about the movement and revival meetings. Letter 1 was written in January 29, 1845.
This poem made by Timothy Dwight in 1800 is a great soucre that gives a very breif description on his beliefs about the church. It expresses his feelings that the church should be a part of everyone's lives. Also, the poem protrays a sense that he feels we as followers should respect God because of the blood and tears he went through to put further his belief.
This speech was given by Charles Finney on January 1, 1839. He wrote it to all the Christians who were converted during this movement. He is basically saying that he has grown exhausted and can no longer preach orally. He said he will address them from time to time through the columns of "The Oberlin Evangelist," but they need to help each other. He finishes by saying he knows they can do it and he will continue to pray for them.
1.Hirrel, Leo P. "Awakening, Second." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 1. 3rd ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 377-379. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.
2. "Revivalism." American Eras. Vol. 5: The Reform Era and Eastern U. S. Development, 1815-1850. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 303-305. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.
9. Aamodt, Terrie Dopp. "Religion." American History Through Literature 1820-1870. Ed. Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 965-971. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.=====
10.Brinkley, Alan. American History A Survey. 11th. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 186-188.
Summary
The religious reform that occurred during the antebellum period was better known as the Second Great Awakening. This period of religious revival was influenced mostly by Charles Grandison Finney along with a few other preachers. The Second Great Awakening was a spiritual reawakening that gave expression to the new social, political, and economic realities of the late eighteenth century. The Second Great Awakening stimulated the establishment of many reform movements designed to remedy the evils of society before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.The Second Great Awakening accelerated the growth of different sects and denominations and helped create a broad popular acceptance of the idea that men and women could belong to different Protestant churches and still be committed to essentially the same Christian faith. It also basically established a long-standing American tradition of charity and humanitarianism.The results of this event were attempts to limit the alcohol consumption and to abolish slavery. This was a very important reform to occur d
Causes
1) Conservative theologians of the 1790s fighting the spread of religious rationalism
2) Church establishments revitalizing their organizations
3) The American Revolution detached the churches from the governement which led to the weakening of religious practice, and raised ideas about individual liberty and reason, which also weakened the church's traditions.
4) Theologies and scientific attitudes de-emphasized the role of God in the world.
5) Certain books were attacking religious "superstitions." For instance, Thomas Paine wrote "The Age of Reason" in 1794 and 1796 and declared in it that Christianity was the "strangest religion ever set up" since "it committed a murder upon Jesus in order to redeem mankind from the sin of eating an apple."
6) Skeptics produced philosophies of Universalism and Unitarianism, both philosophies emerged as views within the New England Congressional Church, and rejected the Calvanist belief in predestination, because they said salvation was available to all people. The two philosophies rejected the idea of Trinity and said Jesus was a religious teacher, and not the son of God.
7) Overall, the Second Great Awakening started because of the efforts of conservative theologians of the 1790s, to fight the spread of religious rationalism. Churches as well wanted to revitalize their organizations.
Goals of Movement
Accelerate the growth of different sects and denominations
Spread religious fervor into virtually every area of the nation
Get individuals to place God and Christ back into their daily lives
Make more people search for salvation
Reject the skeptical rationalism that threatened traditional beliefs People must have active piety, and must reject all skeptical "rationalism" that threatened traditional beliefs.
Strategies
Camp Meetings
Occurred during the fall after harvesting period in the froniter
This was the best strategy the ministers and preachers used because
it allowed women to taken part in the event
acted as a form of entertainment to those in the froniter since people were usually isolated and entertainment was usually for the rich to enjoy
was treated like a vacation to many since it would last several days which made you have to camp-out
ministers and preachers would talk about religion in the entertainment they provided to convince people to convert to their religion
"Circuit Riders"
Who-Ministers and preachers or ordinary men choosen by ministers
What/How-These people would ride on horse back to remote areas of the froniter to teach and spread the ideas of God.
Where-Foniter
When-During the Second Great Awakening
Why-These "missionaries" would do this to try to bring the teachings of God to areas that were not developed yet. They did this so they could convert the whole town that was being developed into a religion which needed some type of stucture that religion would bring to them. If there was only a couple of families, then they would just convert
those families.
Women
The only non-domestic activity(religion) the women could and were allowed to take part in, this is why the woman out number the males
women attained church very often and participated in a number of religous activities
the forming of charities and missionary organizations
The churches targeted women because they were responsible for taking care of their husbands' and children's religous well being
since this was the only activity women could do, they took it very seriously which led to them convincing their family to convert to the same religion too
Successes
After the conclusion of the Second Great Awakening, there were no failures at all. First of all, Methodists and Baptists grew tremendously through the efforts of camp meetings and circuit riders in the frontier. These two groups grew the most because they targeted the frontier which had little, if any, organization that people in the frontier needed badly. Overall, the effort to revive religion in America was a success. Even though this was the movement's main objective, it was more successful in inspiring many other reform movements like the temperance and abolition. The Second Great Awakening basically acted like the cornerstone for all other reforms that followed. The biggest success of the movement was the opportunities it opened for women because women were able to participate in it. This gave women the strength to challenge men and the nation that they should be treated the same as men. During the Awakening, the women out-numbered the men in church. They started working in factories instead of at home, as weavers and spinners. Men would go to the west to expand and the women were left home, leading them to become members of a church. The Awakening also effected Blacks, too. Since some of the revivals were open to all races, black preachers started to preach, which was important to the slaves. During the preachings, they had said that salvations was available to all. The Second Great Awakening was also important to Native Americans. A Delaware prophet named Neolin had sparked a widespread revival in the Old Northwest. He said that Indians should defend their land, and that trade and relationship with whites was very strong. Neolin helped with Indian military efforts in 1763. Finally, the Second Great Awakening affected the rational freethinkers, who were now the minority. Also, the Presbyterians expanded to the western fringe of white settlements. Methodism founded in England spread to America, because of John Wesley, in the 1770s. Methodism also became a formal denomination in 1784 under the leadership of Francis Asbury. Their churches sent out preachers to recruit new members, and it became the fastest denomination in America. Baptists in the South, became new to America. These three new denominations spread throughout the whole country. People flocked to join one of these three churches.
The Second Great Awakening combined a more active piety with a belief in God as a force whose grace could only be given through faith and good deeds. It also spread different denominations and helped create the idea that men and women could belong to different Protestant churches and still be committed to the same Christian faith, which also spread to places that never even had churches.
Overall, the Awakening had brought together all or most races in America at that time as well as the unique religions, through religious beliefs.
Methodists and Baptists were the most successful in getting converts
overall after the movement was over, the most of the nation was back into some type of religion
Cornstone to other reforms
Helped woman out
showed that they she be considered equal
Overall Effects
Voluntary societies had been formed to promote religious education and Sunday schools, distribute Bibles, and advance charitable efforts
Moral and humanitarian crusades were launched.
A crusade for the abolition of slavery was entered upon by revivalists such as Theodore Dwight Weld
Colleges and seminaries were founded which, like Oberlin in Ohio, were dedicated to “universal reform” and the education of women and African Americans.
Key People
Timothy Dwight
Nathaniel William Taylor
Charles Finney
Alexander Campbell
Key Events
Cane Ridge or the first "Camp Meeting"
"Burned-Over District"
Timothy Dwight and Yale
Primary Sources
A series of 32 letters, all published with the same name of "Revival Fire", dedicated to All Interested Persons and Ministers of the Gospel which are written by Charles Finney. These letters are of Finney's feelings about the movement and revival meetings. Letter 1 was written in January 29, 1845.
http://www.gospeltruth.net/1845OE/letters_on_revival_index.htm
This poem made by Timothy Dwight in 1800 is a great soucre that gives a very breif description on his beliefs about the church. It expresses his feelings that the church should be a part of everyone's lives. Also, the poem protrays a sense that he feels we as followers should respect God because of the blood and tears he went through to put further his belief.
http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Love_Thy_Kingdom_Lord/
This speech was given by Charles Finney on January 1, 1839. He wrote it to all the Christians who were converted during this movement. He is basically saying that he has grown exhausted and can no longer preach orally. He said he will address them from time to time through the columns of "The Oberlin Evangelist," but they need to help each other. He finishes by saying he knows they can do it and he will continue to pray for them.
http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/OE1839.Letter.1.1.Text.pdf
Bibliography
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1.Hirrel, Leo P. "Awakening, Second." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 1. 3rd ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 377-379. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.
2. "Revivalism." American Eras. Vol. 5: The Reform Era and Eastern U. S. Development, 1815-1850. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 303-305. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.
3. "Second Awakening and Frontier Religious Revival, 1800-c. 1835." DISCovering U.S. History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering Collection. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=s0940.
4. "Second Great Awakening." US History:Lesson 30. Monterey Institute for Technology and Education , 2007. Web. http://www.hippocampus.org/homework-help/US-History/American%20Culture%20and%20Reform,%201800%20-%201860_The%20Second%20Great%20Awakening.html.
5. "Alexander Campbell." Salem Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. http://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/GL19_3651010211?prevSearch=alexander%2Bcampbell&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=8358c5c932d6a2ab7da05183c8e41e21
6. "Second Great Awakening." http://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/GE18_1541090022?prevSearch=second%2Bgreat%2Bawakening&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=d6859a9218998eb3a762872163afc8c2
7. "Second Great Awakening." N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2010. http://www.stopsinning.net/effects.htm.
8. "What were the causes and effects of the Second Great Awakening?" N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2010. http://www.strangersgate.com/udhsweb/academics/a.p_history/a.p_u.s_history/old/notes_by_david_yu/second_great_awakening.html
9. Aamodt, Terrie Dopp. "Religion." American History Through Literature 1820-1870. Ed. Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 965-971. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. High School. 10 Nov. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0003.=====10.Brinkley, Alan. American History A Survey. 11th. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 186-188.